Monthly Archives: December 2011

I read an article yesterday that said AHA’s were bad for your skin. This of course made me cringe because of my love for AHA’s and how they can improve the skin, but I kept on reading. The article said to avoid AHA and other peeling / lightening / bleaching agents because they make your skin more sun sensitive. This is true. Because of the dead skin cell exfoliation hydroxy acids cause, the newer skin cells that exposed ARE more sun sensitive. This is why every good esthetician will insist that you use a mineral sunblock and for the most part keep the sun’s rays off skin being treated with aggressive skin care products.

During the summer months, if you are into biking, golfing, hiking, swimming or any other outdoor activity and worry about gaining more hyper pigmentation, my advise would be to lay off of the glycolic moisturizer and cleanser. Discontinue use of serums, creams, gels and masques containing retinol, hydroquinoin or any other beta or alpha hydroxy acids. Switch to products with natural brightening agents such as vitamin C, mulberry, bearberry, licorice and enzymes from pineapple and papaya. These ingredients will brighten and nourish your complexion without making your skin more sun sensitive. Of course always use a mineral sunblock and reapply every two hours. Switching up your skin care routine keeps your skin energized and customizing your skin care routine keeps your skin protected throughout the seasons.

I find myself asking almost everyone one of my skin care clients this question during treatment because of a book I’ve read….

My friend Sammy showed me this book about six years ago and really all I remembered of it was that it said for my blood type, I couldn’t eat cashews and I love cashews so I didn’t give this book much more thought. But that was before I became an esthetician and obsessed with all things skin.

For the last two years I have come to notice the very strong connection between the health of the skin and nutrition. When I came across this a few months ago for the second time I saw it in a whole new light. I’m not a big fan of fad diets, but this diet is not just to shed a few pounds it is for the HEALTH of your body (including your skin!)

I have learned through plenty of other nutrition books that the less your body has to filter, (preservatives, food coloring, hormones, pesticides, antibiotics) the more beautiful your skin will be and this means eating a very clean, usually vegetarian, vegan, or raw diet.

Many people I know, (including myself being an A- blood type), benefit from a meat and dairy free diet. I also have known people who have tried these types of diets and end up wasting away into skin and bone or experience very upset digestive systems. It’s argued that this author’s research is not backed by enough published evidence.…. but judging from my small interviews with people, most A blood type people tell me that they have a hard time digesting red meats and experience gas after eating dairy. And the O blood types I know always say that a vegetarian diet just wasn’t enough for them. In the book you learn about the four blood types and what foods are beneficial, what food are irritating and the reasons why. Is it just coincidental that over and over in my interviews my clients say the same thing the book says about their diets? I think not.

Which one is better? The answer lies within your skin type and lifestyle.

Dark skin type

I do not suggest micro/macroderm or chemical peels for Fitzpatrick skin types V- VI. These darker skin types are at a higher risk for possible hyperpigmentation from the treatment. If you are a Fitzpatrick type IV- VI, I suggest starting in your home with a medical grade skin care line that has alpha hydroxy acids. For professional treatments start with enzyme peels or the herb peel. Gradually, your skin will create a tolerance for stronger treatments.

Acneic Skin Type

I prefer using salicylic and glycolic type chemical peels because these acids help slow skin oil production, lighten pigmentation, dry up active lesions as well as encourage skin cell turnover. However, some of my clients do not feel comfortable with the flaking of skin you can experience 5-7 days after a chemical peel. With consistent treatments macrodermabration can clear problem skin, and without any visible downtime. Because waves of acne tend to come every four weeks, I suggest booking your appointment every 28 days for best results.